Why can’t we vacation in Cuba? Because it’s a terror state

As an attendee at this weekend’s White House Correspondents Dinner, it
struck me that I agree with the president. At least on one issue. Rapper
Jay-Z’s recent decision to visit Cuba is a problem. Jay-Z and wife
Beyoncé traveled to Cuba to celebrate (in their words) their fifth
wedding anniversary in spite of a U.S. tourist ban. Many of my friends
on the right ask: “Why can’t Americans travel to any country they wish
to? Why can we go as tourists to China but not Cuba?”

It’s for the same reason we can’t go to North Korea or Iran: Cuba is a
terrorist nation. China didn’t seize our assets or deploy nuclear
weapons 90 miles off our coast. Cuba continues to actively promote
hostility towards the U.S. in our hemisphere and our tourist dollars
help prop up the Castro regime and prolong the agony of 11 million people.

U.S.-Cuba relations since 1959 have gone from strained to severe, to the
closest we have ever come to nuclear Armageddon. Its always included
provocations on Castro’s end of one degree or another and periodic
rapprochements have been a colossal waste of time — except for an
immigration accord which most Cuban exiles consider unwise.

The Castro brothers remain the longest lasting living dictators in the
world — 54 years and counting. So far they have survived nine U.S.
presidents, the collapse of the Soviet Union and the death of Hugo
Chavez. According to them they have also survived numerous death plots
emanating from the U.S., the failed Bay of Pigs invasion as well as the
Kennedy/Khrushchev stare down in the 1962 October missile crisis.

At the beginning of their reign of terror they executed thousands of
freedom-loving patriots, confiscated (without compensation) all private
property in the island — including billions of dollars of U.S.-owned
assets — and launched the “Mariel boat exodus” during president Jimmy
Carter’s tenure, releasing tens of thousands of Cubans from criminal
jails and mental institutions and sending them over by boats to Miami
and surrounding areas. Let’s not forget the downing of small private
single engine planes killing in cold blood four American citizens during
president Bill Clinton’s administration. To this day, they jail
thousands of patriotic Cubans, including the well-known “Ladies in
White,” whose only provocation has been to peacefully voice their
objections to the treatment of the Cuban people.

They have used the Cuban people as chattel sending their unwilling young
men to fight and die in faraway lands (such as Angola); thousands of
unsuspecting doctors to Venezuela and thousands others to forced labor
camps to harvest sugar cane — all in return for financial resources to
keep their ruthless regime afloat.

They are listed as a terrorist country by our U.S. Department of State
for good reason: they harbor terrorist leaders from the Middle East;
train and supply intelligence officers to other ruthless governments
such as Nicaragua and Bolivia; and are at the ideological epicenter of
all efforts to undermine America and the values for which we stand.

Many in our country on both sides of the aisle are second guessing our
policies of the economic embargo and the restrictions imposed on our
citizens regarding travel to Cuba. Some believe that a change in policy
can become a catalytic event for meaningful change in Cuba and at the
very least could be of financial benefit to U.S. commercial interests.
They argue that an opening now can help a post-Castro Cuba evolve in a
positive direction. The code word for all of these unilateral actions is
“normalizing” relations.

One of the rarest exceptions to U.S. historical diplomatic options is
that these relations with Cuba were codified into American laws in 1991
wherein the U.S. Congress determined that for the embargo to be lifted,
Cuba needed to free its jails of political prisoners, agree to allow the
formation of political organizations, and agree to hold elections at
some point in the future.

But, what is actually being proposed is that these conditions be
unilaterally lifted. No reimbursement for U.S. business loses or return
of valuable properties taken; no relief for the 11 million caged humans
in Cuba’s archipelago and, in essence, a recognition that in spite of
all of the above enumerated transgressions and many others, the United
States has no beef with the Castro regime and is willing to let bygones
be bygones. Why do that? How does that serve our interests?

The Castro regime has no credit or resources with which to trade. If
they did they could trade with every other nation they wish to — but
can’t. And most importantly, they have no intention of discontinuing
their destabilizing efforts in the hemisphere.

Every time the free world has sought to extend a hand of friendship to
world tyrants, they have lived to regret their actions. President Obama
upon taking office sought to ease travel and remittances sent to Cuba as
a gesture of good faith. The result? Jailing of an American — Alan Gross
who was there on humanitarian efforts to work with the few remaining
Jews on the island — and redoubling their efforts to undermine our
interests in Latin America.

Enter Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Secretary of State John
Kerry. Secretary Hagel, while in the Senate, called the U.S. embargo
“nonsensical” and anachronistic and Secretary Kerry shares similar
views. No cabinet since the Carter administration has had such leaders
in favor of rapprochement with the Castro brothers.

But, after more than 50 years of exile, the Cuban diaspora remains
strong. Its culture and memories passed on from generation to
generation. More than one million Cuban expatriates and their children
retain the fervor for their fatherland. Its been a remarkable journey in
the America they – we — have all so fallen in love with. We have elected
four Cuban-Americans to the U.S. Senate, several U.S. Representatives
and literally dozens of state legislators throughout our land. We are
also proud of our many corporate CEOs, athletes, artistic performers and
successful professionals.

One policy change which is favored by a growing segment of the Cuban
exile community is the ending of our immigration accord and of the “wet
foot dry foot” policies. These base their origins on the assumption that
Cubans leaving the island for the United States are political refugees,
fearing for their well-being at home and entitled to asylum in our
country. However, far too many of our compatriots come and go regularly
to the island to visit friends, relatives or to just vacation. That
needs to stop and our immigration policies should treat my fellow Cubans
as we do every one else regarding asylum entry and visa opportunities.

Our views on relations with Castro’s Cuba remain firmly ensconced in our
current policies regardless of our party affiliation. Our children were
born here; our dead are buried here. America is our home but we yearn
with fervor for the opportunity that our slaved brothers and sisters can
someday soon enjoy the basic freedoms to which every human on earth is
entitled. While I respect the different points of view of many inside of
Cuba who have given up hope — after three generations of Castro rule –
and seek different accommodations with the Castro regime, I believe that
our current policies will best further our collective goal: a free Cuba.

We need to be prepared, when the moment arises, to help with Cuba’s
reconstruction, help end the suffering and bring freedom and hope to the
millions awaiting the departure of the Castro brothers — sooner rather
than later. Until that day comes, the United States should stay the
course and our Secretaries of Defense and State need to be closely
monitored by Congress.

Al Cardenas, Chairman of the American Conservative Union and Cuban-American

By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. more information

The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this.